Carpets and other tufted fabric products having logos, script designs and other complex patterned graphics have become increasingly popular as tufting systems have improved the appearance of such graphic designs in carpets. In addition, artificial or synthetic grass or turf products also have been growing in popularity and demand, especially for use in indoor stadiums and in areas where grass fields are difficult to maintain due to weather conditions. Such synthetic turf products more recently further are being formed as tufted products having synthetic turf yarns or filaments that simulate blades of grass tufted into a backing material, with a fill material, such as ground up tires, sand, and/or other particulate matter, generally being applied between the tufts of the synthetic grass filaments to help support the tufts and cushion the turf. It is also desirable to form such turf products with desired color variations and/or patterns (such as logos or checked patterns) to avoid the need for painting or later forming such as markings or graphics.
In the past, the method of forming desired graphic patterns or designs such as logos, numbers or other features in tufted turf products generally has involved installing the plain turf at a site, then placing a template on the installed turf and shearing off the yarns within the template to create a space. A pre-cut logo, number or other design having the desired color is then glued into place over the sheared area or space. Understandably, such a process is often very labor and time intensive, and accordingly is expensive and can lead to significant material waste in terms of the sheared and removed yarns. Inaccuracies and issues with the alignment and retention of such glued-in logos or other intricate designs also can arise.
The resultant synthetic turf or grass fabric also importantly must meet desired standards for cushioning, support, ball bounce, ball roll, and the amount of fill, especially where it is installed in sanctioned athletic fields, such as for professional, college, and high school sports facilities. For example, FIFA, the governing body for international soccer has very specific standards for the amount of cushioning and support, as well as for ball bounce and the amount of fill that can be used in sanctioned synthetic turf soccer fields. There consequently is a continuing need to try to improve the cushioning, support and playability of synthetic turf fields, and to reduce the amount of fill or particulate matter needed to support the synthetic turf or grass filaments, which particulate matter often can get in players' eyes, etc., as it is disturbed during play, to improve the players' comfort and help reduce injuries as much as possible.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a system and method for forming patterned tufted products, including artificial/synthetic grass or sports turf materials that address the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.